Create a quiz in Microsoft Powerpoint

Open Microsoft Powerpoint. A blank presentation will automatically appear. The first task is to set up the ‘slide master’. A slide master is used to keep a presentation consistent. It acts like a template and defines how the slides are formatted. By formatting the slide master, all the slides will have the same formatting applied to them automatically. Any object placed on a slide master appears on all slides (like a header or footer in a Word document). To access the slide master, select View, then Master, then Slide Master. Don’t worry about the placeholders (boxes) on the master slide ­ they won’t appear in the quiz. To access the slide master in Powerpoint 2007, click on the View tab, and select Slide Master.

To apply a coloured background, click on Format (on the menu bar), then Background. Click on the colour dropdown arrow (currently showing white) and choose More Colors. Select a colour, click OK, then click on Apply to All. The chosen background will be applied to all slides in the presentation. To apply a more complex background effect, select Format, then Background, then click on the colour dropdown arrow again and choose Fill Effects. Select a gradient, texture or pattern effect, click on OK, then Apply to All. To apply a background in Powerpoint 2007, click on Background Styles, then select Format Background. Click on the dropdown arrow next to Color, choose More Colors, then select a colour Click on Apply to All.

It is a good idea to insert a button that will end the quiz at any point. By putting this on the slide master, it won’t be necessary to repeat the procedure for every slide in the quiz -­ it will automatically be on every new slide added. Click on the Autoshapes button on the Drawing toolbar. Select a category (such as Basic Shapes), then click on an appropriate Autoshape. Click and drag to draw the Autoshape in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen, where it won’t interfere with the quiz. Resize it or click and drag to move it, if necessary. To colour the Autoshape, use the Fill Color button on the Drawing Toolbar. Choose More Fill Colors, select a colour, then click OK. To insert an Autoshape in Powerpoint 2007, find the Drawing area on the Home tab. Click on Shapes, click and drag to draw a shape, then use the Shape Fill button to colour it.

To label the button, right-click on the Autoshape and select Add Text from the menu that appears. Type End Quiz Now, then highlight the text and format it so that it stands out against the background (for example, change the size, colour or font). To make the Autoshape an interactive button, make sure it is selected, then choose Action Settings from the Slideshow menu. Click on the radio button next to ‘Hyperlink to:’ and, from the dropdown box, select End Show. Click OK, then close the slide master by clicking on Close Master View. To label the Autoshape in Powerpoint 2007, right-click on it and select Edit Text. To make it interactive, select the Autoshape, then use the Action button, located in the Links area of the Insert tab. Finally, click on Close Master View on the Slide Master tab.

Select the Title Only layout from the Slide Layout task pane (if it is not there, click on the Format menu, then select Slide Layout). Click into the placeholder (Click to add title) and type a title. To add a Start Quiz Now button, click on the Slideshow menu, then select Action Buttons. (In Powerpoint 2007, find action buttons in the list of Shapes in the Drawing area on the Home tab.) Select the Forward or Next button, then click and drag to draw it. In the Action Settings dialogue box, select ‘Hyperlink to:’, choose Next Slide in the dropdown box, then click OK. Resize and reposition the button if necessary, then use the Fill Color button to colour it. Right-click on the button and choose Add Text, then type ‘Click here to start quiz’.

Create a new slide, either by clicking on the New Slide button on the Formatting toolbar, or by selecting New Slide from the Insert menu, or by holding down the Ctrl key on the keyboard and pressing M. Select the Title Only layout again, then click into the placeholder and type ‘Question 1’. Press Enter on the keyboard and type the first question in the quiz. Click and drag over one of the handles to resize the placeholder (the pointer will look like a double-headed arrow) so there’s room for the question text. To move the placeholder, click and drag when the mouse pointer is on the border of the placeholder (it will have a four-headed crossed arrow attached to it).

Add another new slide. This slide (slide 3) will be the incorrect-answer slide. Select the Title and Content layout style, then click into the placeholder and type ‘Sorry! Incorrect!’ (or something similar). Format the text appropriately. Click on the Insert Clip Art icon to insert an image. Enter a search term in the Search text field (for example, ‘sad’ or ‘sorry’ or ‘wrong’), then click on Search, and in the Results box select a suitable image, then click OK. Move and resize the image if necessary.

Add another new slide (slide 4) ­ this will be the correct-answer slide. Select the Title and 2 Content layout style. Click into the title placeholder and type ‘Correct! Well Done!’ (or something similar). Next, let’s insert a sound effect. Click on the Insert Media Clip icon. Enter a relevant search request in the Search text field (for example, cheers), then click on Search. In the Results box, select a sound file, then click on OK to insert it. When asked how the sound should start in the slideshow, click on Automatically. A sound icon will appear ­ move it into the top left-hand corner of the slide. Then click on the Clip Art icon and insert a suitable image.

Action buttons are now needed to link everything together. Click on slide two in the Slides tab down the left-hand side of the screen. (The slides tab shows the slides in a presentation in miniature.) Three multiple-choice answer buttons need to be added to this slide. Click on the Slideshow menu, choose Action Buttons, then select the Custom button -­ the blank one. Click and drag on the slide where you want the answer button to appear. It must be big enough for the answer. The Action Settings dialogue box will automatically appear when you let go of the mouse. Click on the radio button next to ‘Hyperlink to:’ and from the dropdown box select Next Slide. Click OK.

As this button has been hyperlinked to the incorrect-answer slide, it must contain one of the multiple-choice incorrect answers. Right-click on the button and choose Add Text, then type an incorrect answer. Use Fill Color to change the colour of the action button, then format the text as desired. Repeat the procedure to add another incorrect answer button. To add the correct answer button, go to Slideshow, then Action Buttons, then Custom Button again. Draw another button. In the dialogue box select the ‘Hyperlink to:’ option, then from the dropdown box choose Slide. Select slide four (‘Correct! Well Done!)’ from the list, then click OK. Add the correct answer to the button, then format the button and text.

Select slide three (The slide that contains the incorrect message) from the Slides tab. A button needs to be added to this slide that will allow the user to have another go at the question. Click on the Slideshow menu, then select Action Buttons. Choose the Return button -­ the curved arrow ­ then click and drag where you want the button to appear. In the Action Settings dialogue box ensure ‘Hyperlink to:’ is selected, and Last Slide Viewed is showing in the dropdown box. Click OK. Right-click on the button and choose Add Text, then type Click here to try again. Format the button and text again as required.

There needs to be a button on slide four that leads to the next question. However, there isn’t a Question 2 yet. Select slide two in the Slides tab, then click on Copy on the Standard toolbar. Click under slide four in the Slides tab and choose Paste. Amend Question 1 to read Question 2, then delete the original question and type in a new one. Remember to alter the answer buttons,­ but­ make sure you amend the original correct answer with the new correct answer. Place a Forward or Next action button on slide four -­ ensure it is hyperlinked to the next slide. Add the text Next Question, then test the quiz by choosing View Show from the Slideshow menu.

Build up the quiz by copying and pasting the slides, editing the questions, then amending the hyperlink attached to the action button with the correct answer. Click on slide three (the incorrect-answer slide) in the Slides tab, then select Copy. Click on slide five in the Slides tab, and choose Paste. Click on slide four (the correct-answer slide) in the Slides tab, select Copy, then click on slide six in the Slides tab and choose Paste. Click and drag to move the answer boxes around so that the correct answer isn’t always in the same place. The incorrect answers on slide five (Question 2) have been set up to hyperlink to the next slide ­ the incorrect-answer slide.

However, the correct-answer button on slide five (Question 2) needs to hyperlink to slide seven -­ the new correct-answer slide. Click on slide five, right-click on the correct answer button and choose Edit Hyperlink. Click on the dropdown arrow in the Hyperlink To: section, select Slide… then choose slide seven -­ the new correct-answer slide. (In Powerpoint 2007, use the Action button, in the Links area of the Insert tab, to amend the hyperlink.) To run the quiz from the first slide press F5 on the keyboard or choose View Show from the Slideshow menu. Alternatively, to save your work and pass it on to someone else, open the File, pick Save As, select a location, type in a file name (eg ‘Powerpoint Quiz’) then click on Save.